Returning to the Beginning
by Ryuuzaki-kun
Summary: Sequal to Silver Cutter. The war is finally over. Max is returning to the beginning like they had promised before the war but he is returning alone.
1. Return

This is the sequel to "Silver Cutter". This story starts after the war. This story is a completely different story and don't expect it to have the romantic comedy/drama like the first one. This story is completely different just to warn you again and you don't have to read it since you can just let it end on the first story. Anytime there is a line, it means its a flashback until the next line so it doesn't mean a different theme song

* * *

Theme song: Open your eyes, Witch Hunter Robin theme_

* * *

Why did it have to end like that? _

A shadow was cast onto the waterless ground by the moonlight.

_They don't deserve to end like that. No one does… _

A figure was slowly creeping out from the shadows. Its breathing was shallow and slow. It trembled with every step.

_If only I were stronger. _

The figure walked into the single beam of moonlight that broke through the dark and mysterious trees.

_Silver…Cutter…_

Max looked up at the moon.

_I wish I could see you again. I miss you both a lot. _

Max fell to the ground in exhaustion. He leaned against a tree and held a hand over his shoulder. Blood that seemed pitch black stained his clothes and especially his shoulder.

_What is this place? _

Max glanced around his surroundings.

Trees that seemed to be barely hanging onto life surrounded him. Stray branches and dead leaves littered the ground. He noticed an old rotting board half-stuck in the mud before him.

_What's this? _

Max pulled out the board and read it, "Oh god no," His heart raced and his breath was caught in his throat. The board read 'Welcome to Ellinia'.

Max mustered all his strength and stood up. He ran over to the tree opposite of him and looked passed it in horror, "Oh god,"

There stood Ellinia or at least what was left of it. The buildings that were usually located at the very top of the city were destroyed and lay in ruins at the base. Everything was destroyed. All the vegetation was burnt and blood stained all the leaves.

Max shuddered and fell to the ground. How could a city he was so fond of end up like this? Ellinia was peaceful and loving but the war had destroyed it.

"AGH!" Max jumped over in complete horror. He crawled away as fast as he could.

A dead fairy lay beside a tree. Max looked more closely at the ruins. Dead fairies lay everywhere.

Max shook his head violently.

_No, no, no! It can't be! All the people were cleared out unless…unless…these fairies couldn't leave because they'll die if they stay too far away from the trees!_

Max buried his hands into his hair and shook violently, "They didn't deserve to die…why did this happen?"

Max looked at the destroyed building where they first heard about the war.

* * *

"Master Max!" A shrill, child's voice shouted, "Quickly! Come with me immediately!" Max ran after the small boy. Cutter and Silver followed closely. 

"Max," Grendall greeted, "We need your help to protect our land. Athena Pierce and Dark lord are rounding up all their champions from their cities and we need you."

"The people of Rune Midgard are planning to take over our land. Rune Midgard is a complete mystery because their land seems to keep growing. They are strong and very powerful and they plan to take over our land."

Max clenched his fists tightly, "I went into battle before. I've seen their military might. One silver-haired girl clad in black fur and leather that couldn't have been more than 14 killed 50 of our best fire and poison mages."

Max shook his head gently, "I must fight. For my honour," He looked up fiercely, "My friends were killed by them. I'm ready for it."

Max and Cutter both bowed, "We will fight for our land." They both muttered in unison.

Silver stared at Cutter with sorrow and pain written all over her face.

Cutter heard Silver run off.

Cutter looked up, "Please keep her safe."

* * *

Max clenched his fist and punched the tree behind him with all his strength. 

"Damn it all!" He punched again and again until his body gave out from lack of strength.

He slumped against a tree and looked at the darkened tree tops.

"Why did this happen?" His fingers brushed away the sand and dead leaves on the ground, "Silver…" The harder he thought, the more he felt the urge to cry but he knew he couldn't, "Cutter," He dug his nails into the ground, "No, I can't cry. I can't cry anymore."

Max slid his eyes shut. He pulled something out of his pocket and glanced at it briefly. He slipped it back into his pocket and went to sleep.

* * *

The main character in this story is Max but you'll hear of the other characters in flash backs. This story's more grim and dark so if this isn't your type of story, don't read it. Please R & R. 


	2. Slime

This story has a helluva lotta lines so try to keep track of them :P. There's a monster mentioned in this chapter that's from ragnarok. It's the creature that resembles a "slime" creature in maple story.

* * *

Theme song: Lurking in the Darkness, FFVII theme

* * *

A rustle in the branches woke up Max. 

Max drew his old and broken staff, "Who's there?"

A slime creature jumped out and hissed at him. Max scowled at it and placed his staff away, "I have no business with you. Go away," He began to walk away.

Even though he had a good night's rest, his body was still tired from the non-stop fighting he had to endure. He heard the bouncing of the slime behind him.

"I told you to go away." He whipped his head around and pointed his staff at it. The slime looked up at it with a defeated look in its eyes, "You are very lucky. You are probably the only monster that survived the battle here. I do not wish to take your life but I have nothing to spare to you."

The slime jumped to his ankles and began to follow him.

"You remind me of a creature that I saw in Rune Midgard." Max looked up, "I'll tell you the story."

* * *

Silver and Cutter looked out the window. 

"I can't believe we're crossing such a large ocean. I didn't think Rune Midgard was this far away." Silver muttered.

Max looked out to the ocean, "I did. I've been to war."

"You made it back before right?" Cutter added, "You'll come back again and we'll be back with you."

A loud boom interrupted their talk.

"We're under attack!" Athena Pierce shouted, "We must all abandon ship. Everyone report to the emergency ships."

Max pulled Cutter and Silver with him, "Quickly!"

Silver stumbled as the ship shook violently. She put her hand on the wall for support, "I'm okay."

Cutter took her hand, "Where is it?"

Max kicked open a door and pulled them in, "This is a private ship I made. When I use my magic, it teleports us immediately to the closest land."

Cutter seated Silver down on one of the seats. Max sat in the other, "It only seats two people so one of you will have to hang on from the outside."

"I will." Cutter clung to the ship tightly, "Let's go."

Max invoked his powers and activated the ship, "Let's go."

* * *

Max laughed to himself, "I think I've lost it. I'm talking to a slime creature. Do you even understand what I'm talking about?" 

The slime surprisingly nodded.

"Oh," Max looked at a crossroad, "We should go to Henesys first. We can look for more survivors together." He turned left at the crossroads, "Let me tell you more."

* * *

Max blinked a few times. He used his hands to support his weight as he pushed himself up. Sand encrusted his clothes and he was soaked. He lay on damp beach ground with a rainforest before him. 

"Max?" Silver asked beside him.

"Silver," Max turned to her, "Where's Cutter?"

Cutter crawled out from the water, "Here," He wiped the water from his eyes, "Is this place…"

"Rune Midgard," Max finished, "We have to be on full alert. They have more than enough people to finish us off."

There was a rustle in the bush.

"Stay behind me Silver," Cutter drew his sword and stood in front of her.

Max held up his staff, "Ready?" He nodded to Cutter.

"_Set…"_

A green blob creature jumped out. They both shouted and stepped back.

"Is that a slime creature?" Silver asked as she kneeled down to it, "It's pretty cute." She touched it with her gloved hand, "Do you think I can keep him?"

Cutter pulled her back, "We should leave it alone."

Max examined it thoroughly, "I've never seen this in my life." He poked it, "Maybe it's related to the slime creature…"

* * *

Max looked at the slime at his feet, "You must've gone through hell to survive. We have something in common."

* * *

This chapter was kinda boring for me to type. Please R & R 


	3. Demihuman

This chapter seemed a little off for me. I think trying to incorporate Ragnarok into this without Ragnarok taking over is hard for me.

* * *

Theme song: Red XIII theme, Final Fantasy VII

* * *

"Hello?" Max shouted as he entered Henesys, "Is anyone there?" 

The slime bounced around. It made a high pitched howl as it jumped around.

"HELLO?" Max shouted with all his energy, "I guess there are no survivors." He looked at the buildings, "I shouldn't have expected anything less. Completely destroyed,"

The slime made that awkward high pitched howl again but this time it came towards Max. The slime dragged a rather beaten up orange mushroom.

"Is it alive?" Max asked the slime.

The slime nodded and pushed the orange mushroom toward Max.

Max touched the hood of the mushroom. He glanced over to the ruins of the potion building, "Go get some water. I'll go get a potion."

Max rummaged through the ruins and produced an orange potion and a blue potion, "Good," He brought the potions back and poured the contents into the orange mushroom's mouth.

The slime poured water onto the orange mushroom to wake it up.

The orange mushroom looked up and shook its head. Max looked into its eyes, "They're the same as the slime. They're defeated." Max sat down, "We've been traveling for a while. We should rest."

The slime nodded and sat next to him. The orange mushroom looked at Max.

"And to think," He looked at them and smiled, "I used to think that monsters like you were worthless and I had no guilt killing you." He glanced into the vanilla sky, "But now, you're probably the thing that means the most to me. I'll tell you more of what happened in the war…"

* * *

Silver glanced at the monsters that crossed her path, "I've never seen these things before. Can I kill one?" 

"No Silver," Cutter sighed, "It might be strong and we need all our strength to fight."

They suddenly heard booming sounds and deep, brute voices.

"Get ready," Max held out his staff. They hid behind trees as Max reached out his staff to pull down the bushes.

Cutter stuck his head out, "I don't see anything." He walked into the open grass, "There are ruins and a few of those green blob things."

"Look out!" Silver shouted.

An axe came down on Cutter. A giant green ogre stared at him. He quickly leaped back and slashed at it. His sword barely chipped the flesh, "What is this?"

Max pulled Cutter away. An army of those green ogres flooded the field.

"Are those the Ragnarok fighters?" Cutter asked with a hint of fear.

"No," Max ran in the opposite direction. They both followed, "They are monsters called orcs. If you thought they were tough," He shook his head, "The warriors they send out can kill them in one attack."

Silver gasped, "They aren't human."

"Demi-human," Max stopped by a giant tree, "They're demi-human."

Silver nodded and sat down, "That explains a lot." She looked into the sky, "We shouldn't have separated from the group. Together we are strong."

"Damn it," Cutter punched the ground, "I used to think I was strong."

Sounds of heavy footsteps filled the air. Max, Silver, and Cutter immediately froze on the spot.

"The orcs? Cutter wondered.

"No," Silver replied, "The footsteps are heavy but they are fast."

Max bit his lip in fear, "One of them sounds much heavier but the other two seem pretty light." He gasped as he heard voices talking.

"I don't want to fight them. I had a harder to killing zombies." They recognized that the voice was a girl's voice.

"The new king wants us to fight. I say it's useless. Their land isn't that good." They recognized that voice to be a man's voice.

"They assassinated our first king." A deeper voiced man interrupted, "We should kill them for that."

"One mistake," The girl replied, "It's just one thing."

"I just hate them." The deep voiced man announced, "Why do you think the king wants us to throw them in a dungeon first?"

"Who knows?" The girl replied, "I don't even like this king."

There was a pause in their conversation.

Max felt a chill run down his spine, "Did they notice us?"

"No," The man with the regular voice stated, "Don't,"

"We have to." The girl replied with the sound of insecurity.

The tree Max leaned on immediately broke. The man with the deep voice held a giant spear over the broken tree stump.

The girl lifted her hands, "Root!"

Silver, Cutter, and Max all gasped.

"I…" Max panicked, "I can't move!"

The man that held the spear took the butt of the spear and bashed it into Max's head. His vision spiraled but soon darkness engulfed him.

* * *

Max yawned. He turned to the sleeping slime and orange mushroom, "I better get to sleep too."

* * *

That's the end of that chapter. Please R & R. Thanx for the reviews bpliokb. Yay I have a fan:P 


	4. Just three

Nothing much to say up here, eheh.

* * *

Theme Song: Sairin Kata Tsubasa no Tenshi AKA theme of Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Max sighed as he drank down the last of his blue potion, "I would kill for real food. Even if it is just an apple," He turned to the slime and orange mushroom, "You guys can sense which direction Lith Harbor is. Where do I turn?" 

The orange mushroom and slime ran to the left. Max followed them and coughed, "My body feels really weak."

The slime jumped to his side. The orange mushroom jumped up and down. It was as if it was panicking.

"What do you see?" Max asked as he ran forward. There was a sign that said 'Welcome to Lith Harbor'.

He wasn't surprised anymore even when he saw the unrecognizable ruins that used to be Lith Harbor. His mind had already gotten used to the carnage. There was blood smeared all over the ground and buildings.

"How did all this happen?" Max felt sick to his stomach when he saw dead bodies that littered the ground. _They must've attacked this place first. The docks are here._

The slime and orange mushroom patrolled the city, in search for food or more survivors.

_I remember when this place wasn't destroyed._ Max closed his eyes.

* * *

Silver smiled at him, "Let's go! I miss Kerning!" 

Cutter grabbed her shoulder, "Don't leave without me."

* * *

Max shook his head. _It's all over now. That's it_. He looked up. _We all went into war and they're both gone._ Even though he had said that to himself so many times, he never truly believed it.

* * *

"Max," A voice called, "Wake up," 

Max stirred and opened his eyes, "Silver," He looked around, "What happened to us?"

Cutter stood by the jail bars, "They captured us." He took his sword and slashed at the bars, "They left us with our weapons because they know that we can't escape."

Silver slashed the bars quickly with her dagger, "I don't see Athena Pierce or Dances with Barlog so I guess they weren't captured. We can still be saved."

Max pulled a card out of the bars, "What is this?" It was a card with a picture of a giant golden beetle.

"Who knows?" Cutter slashed at the bars again, "What are these things made of?" He slashed the rock wall next to it, "Damn it!" He stopped as a bit of the rock fell off, "That was easy." He slashed at the rock, "We can just keep slashing the rock."

Max held up his hands, "Let my magic do the work." He fired lightning at it. His body suddenly broke out in spasms. He fell to the ground, "That…" He panted hard, "Hurt…"

Silver picked up the rock Cutter broke off, "This feels like…" She examined it, "Igneous rock?" She gasped, "We're…we're in a volcano!"

"What?" Cutter asked.

"The rock is a volcanic rock. Remember what those people were talking about? They put us all in a dungeon and then when the volcano erupts…" Silver immediately paled at that, "Oh crap!"

Max nodded, "I see your point. The heat in here is really unbearable." He looked at his hands, "Why can't I use magic?"

Cutter kept slashing, "We have to get out of here!" Cutter broke through the rock, "That was a little too easy."

They all ran out of the cell as quick as they could.

Silver ran out from the corridor but immediately jumped back as she saw people who seemed to be guards in front of the door.

"How many are left?" A female guard asked.

"Just three," Another answered.

"Three?" The female guard seemed perplexed by his answer.

"Yep," The male guard replied, "They must've escaped before we brought down the ship."

Max gasped, "That means they must've killed the rest of them already!"

Cutter scratched his head, "We have some good luck. We always hear the important parts of conversations."

"Cutter," Silver grabbed his hand, "They…killed all of them…" She closed her eyes, "What chance do we have?"

Cutter put an arm around her, "We'll be safe." He pointed to a small hole in the wall, "That should be a way out. I see light coming from it."

Max nodded, "We have to get there then." He smiled, "Ready?"

* * *

Max shook his head. He looked at Lith harbor and imagined what it looked like before the war. He smiled. _This was the beginning for all adventurers. It seems awkward to have seen the end and to be back in the beginning. _He looked at the silver cutter in his hand, "This isn't our beginning though." 

The slime and orange mushroom ran back frantically. They made random screeches and screams but Max could tell that pure panic was written on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Max asked.

The slime and orange mushroom ran off towards the ship. Max ran after them.

He gasped and his eyes widened. A young girl that couldn't have been more thansixteen lay sprawled on the ground. Her hair was completely silver with specks of blood. Max looked closely at her eyes. They were just like the eyes of a snake and they were a bright green. She wore a black priest dress.

The young girl was breathing slowly but she looked like she would die any second.

"A survivor…" Max whispered.

* * *

The finale is coming soon. Maybe about four to three chapters left. Please R & R 


	5. The survivor

This chapter was pretty interesting for my when I typed it. To clear things up, the game 'Ragnarok' is based on Norse Mythology so 'Rune Midgard' is a real place in Norse mythology. Ragnarok is also real and its kind of like the end of the world. This is just to inform you so when you read it you won't think I just made that up on the spot.

* * *

Theme song: Summoned, Final Fantasy X

* * *

Max pointed to the potion building, "Go get some potions from that building. Get anything that still has even the smallest amount of potion in it!" 

The slime and orange mushroom nodded and jumped to the potion building.

Max tore a piece of cloth from his robe and dipped it into the water of the ocean. He folded it a few times and wiped the girl's forehead.

"Who's there?" The girl murmured. Her voice was barely an audible whisper but Max heard her.

"Hang on," He looked at her hands. They looked as if they were burned and bruised badly, "What happened to your hands?"

"I guess I overdid it with my magic." She scrunched her eyes and stared straight at him, "You're—you're not one of us."

Max looked at her clothes. _She's a fighter of Rune Midgard! What do I do? _He held onto his staff tightly. _Do I kill her or should I spare her?_ A darkened expression was cast on his face. _She might be injured and just a girl but she's part of the people who killed Cutter and Silver._ He started to pull his staff out from his robe. _She deserves to die. _

The slime and orange mushroom jumped in front of him with many different potions. Max retracted his staff, "You got the potions!" He looked at the innocent expression on the monster's faces. He sighed and grabbed a potion. _How could I even think about killing her after all I've been through? _He brought the glass to the girl's lip, "I'm giving you a potion. It'll heal you quicker."

The girl blinked and opened her mouth slightly. Max poured the potion slowly into her mouth. The girl swallowed it slowly, "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because I've gone through hell," Max held onto his staff tightly, "You'll need to rest."

The girl nodded slightly and sat up, "Not yet," She looked at him, "I want to thank you first."

"Wait," Max added, "Can you tell me why your land is so strong?"

The girl blinked, "Oh," She lied down, "You look tired. You should lie down too."

Max stroked the orange mushroom's hood, "I know. You can sleep now." He murmured to the monsters. He lied down afterwards, "Tell me,"

The girl nodded, "Rune Midgard is a great land but the people there are training relentlessly for the day of Ragnarok."

"Ragnarok?" Max asked.

"Ragnarok is just a myth but the people of Rune Midgard believe that it is real. A wolf will swallow the sun. An earthquake will shatter Fenrir's chains. The world serpent Jormungard will spew out poisonous fumes and cause a tidal wave. Loki, Hel and their vile crew will ser sail on the boat of the dead. Heimdall, the watchman, will blow his great horn. The golden rooster will crow and that will signal the twilight of gods. Everything will be destroyed and even the great tree of life Yggdrasil will shake. Only the sons of Odin and Thor, a human man and a human woman will survive. Soon, life will return to the world."

Max smiled, "That's a happy story." He rolled his eyes.

"It's just a myth but the people seem to believe in it. We train every single day just so we will be ready when the twilight of gods arrives." The girl yawned, "That's most of it. I don't believe in it though."

Max nodded, "Yeah…" He turned to her, "Can you tell me about your life? I'll tell you about mine if you want."

The girl smiled, "Okay, you start."

"I had two of the greatest friends ever. They were in love but they went through a few hard times. Their true love always showed for each other even when the war began. Even the war didn't split them up. They both got caught up by the war even though they knew they couldn't survive. I'll never forget them…" Max sighed deeply.

* * *

"Max!" A voice shouted, "Cutter! Please wait!" 

Silver ran towards them. She had a pack slung around her shoulder.

"Silver?" Cutter replied, "What's that?"

Silver looked at him seriously, "I'm coming with you!"

Cutter shook his head no, "No! It's too dangerous for you. I don't want you getting hurt and I can't always protect you."

"I know that!" Silver looked down, "I can't just sit around while my friends face death. And…" She looked up, "Don't you believe that we'll make it?"

Cutter sighed deeply, "This isn't a game. We have to defend our land with honour even if we do fall. Even if I die, you'll still be alive."

"But," Silver interrupted, "If you died, I would never forgive myself because I didn't come with you and I didn't try to protect you."

Cutter pulled her into his arms, "I'll never forgive myself if you died. Please just stay,"

Silver brought her arms onto his back, "I…will never leave you. I'll stand by you until the end."

* * *

Max was so caught up in that memory that he completely blanked out. 

"Do you want to know my story?" The girl asked.

"Oh," Max replied, "Okay,"

The girl looked down, "My father is the king of Rune Midgard. He was the king before he was assassinated. Now my uncle is in charge but he always has this deep hatred for your people. He always made me train but I don't want to fight. That's why I became a priest."

Max closed his eyes, "Your father was assassinated by our people. That's why this battle was so catastrophic."

"Yes," The girl nodded, "I wish this never happened. Why do you talk to me so much? Don't take it the wrong way but I'm one of the people who tried to destroy your land. Why would you even talk to me let alone heal me?"

Max looked at her and smiled, "You remind me of my friend. Silver was always talkative but she always had a dark attitude to herself. You're a lot like her." He turned his body so he faced her completely, "You kind of look like her too. Well, you both have really pale skin and your face shape is kind of like hers." The girl stared at him blankly, "Is there something wrong?"

"My name is Silver." The girl replied.

* * *

Hmm, I think this is definitely the big twist of the story. Please R & R 


	6. Smoke

This chapter was fun to right. I definitely think this one is a good chapter.

* * *

Theme song: Half pain, Witch Hunter Robin ending theme

* * *

Max stared at her in awe, "You can't be the Silver I know." He shook his head, "You can't…" 

Silver shook her head, "No," She lied down, "I'm not her." She closed her eyes, "You should get to sleep."

Max lied down, "Not her…" He closed his eyes.

The morning light soon bathed the ruins but Max and his crew were already on their way to Kerning city.

"Where is this _Perion_ you speak of?" Silver asked Max.

"Perion is the only city that was protected. All the survivors live there." Max explained.

The slime trailed slowly behind Silver while the orange mushroom jumped in front of her. It seemed to give Silver suspicious glares.

"What powers do you have?" Max asked Silver.

"Mostly healing and blessing abilities," Silver replied, "I was a support priest in the battle."

Max nodded, "Well," He looked down, "You're nothing like the Silver I knew." He saw the remains of the metal "Welcome to Kerning city" sign, "This place looked like a dump to begin with." He saw the few dead bodies that littered the ground.

The slime sniffed the air. It signaled the orange mushroom with a howl and they both jumped off. Max and Silver ran after them.

"There's smoke!" Max shouted as he climbed up a rope to the city, "Come on!"

They hurried to the city.

"Where is it coming from?" Silver asked Max.

Max looked at the city, "I thought this place was a dump before but seriously…" His eyes wandered around for the smoke, "I can't even recognize this place."

"There!" Silver shouted as she pointed to a smoke trail. It came from a small building.

"That's the weapon store." Max whispered as he ran as fast as he could into the weapon store.

Silver ran after him.

"Don't come in!" A man shouted as he threw a knife at them.

Max held up his staff and blocked the knife, "It's me! Max." He slowly stalked in, "Do you remember me?"

The man slowly stepped out of the shadows. The armor salesman stared straight at him, "Oh my god," He panted and held his forehead, "Oh my god," He whispered it again and laughed, "I thought you had died. Thank god you're alive."

Silver ran in, "Who's there?"

The armor salesman lifted another knife, "Don't come near!"

"It's okay." Max held up his arm, "I found her but she was badly injured. She's okay."

The slime and orange mushroom ran in. The armor salesman looked at them, "Wow," He kneeled to them, "I haven't seen these in a long time."

Max looked at the small fire in the middle of the room, "What's with the fire?"

"The heating broke." The armor salesman replied plainly, "This place is freezing and there's no way I can fix the heating. Only the weapon salesman could…"

"What happened to him?" Max asked.

"Gone," The armor salesman replied as he packed up all his armor and the few weapons he had, "He helped defend Kerning City. I was too afraid."

Max hung his head, "Oh,"

Silver touched the slime, "This looks like a poporing."

The armor salesman walked out, "I feel safer that you're here. I've been afraid to leave this place ever since the war began."

Max smiled, "Let's go to Perion. I'm glad I'm of use to you."

Silver smiled, "I really must thank you. If you didn't come to look for survivors, I think I really would've died. You must be a really good person to take care of me even though I'm one of the enemies."

The armor salesman nodded in agreement, "I want to know something." He walked up to Max and whispered it to him, "What happened to Cutter and Silver?"

Max felt an instant pang in his heart. He grasped his staff tightly. The slime and orange mushroom came up to him and comforted him.

"I'm sorry." The armor salesman replied.

"No," He shook his head, "It is okay. I'll tell you what happened."

* * *

Max ran out with his staff, "Poison!" His body immediately felt weakened when he used his magic.

The two guards faltered with their movement. Silver and Cutter quickly ran to the light coming from a small tunnel.

"They're getting away!" One of the guards shouted.

Silver grabbed her shuriken, "Come on Max!" She threw several of them at the guards.

One guard blocked all of them with their shield and stabbed her in the ankle with his sword.

Silver screamed and pulled her leg away. Cutter grabbed her and slashed away the guard, "Can you walk?"

"I'm okay." Silver groaned. She got on her feet, "Let's keep moving."

Max lifted his hands again, "Lightning!" He felt his magic being restricted again, "Damn," He took out the card of the golden bug from his pocket, "This…this card is taking away my power." He threw the card away.

Cutter held onto Silver, "We're almost there." He looked at her ankle. It bled badly, "Can you hold on?"

Silver nodded, "As long as you're with me…"

Cutter smiled with happiness but his happiness was short lived, "AHH!" He screeched and fell to the ground. An arrow was planted into his back.

One guard held onto a one-handed crossbow.

"Cutter," Silver held onto him, "Are you okay?" Cutter looked up at her faintly, "Please hang on,"

Max turned to them, "We have to carry him out of here." There was an immediate rumble, "What was that?"

"The volcano is going to erupt!" One guard shouted, "Damn," They both ran to the exit.

Cutter coughed, "Oh no, you don't," He took his sword and stabbed the narrow bridge that connected the exit to the dungeons.

"No!" The guards shouted. The ground below them began to collapse too. The guard plunged into the magma below.

The exit was beginning to crumble as well, "Come on," Max turned to them.

Cutter coughed gently, "No," He closed his eyes, "I'm already dying. Just leave me," He grabbed his piece of the silver cutter and pushed it together with her piece, "Go Silver…"

Silver shook her head, "No," She held onto him tightly, "I told you before. I can only hold on as long as you are beside me." She placed an arm on his back, "I'm not leaving you." She hurled the silver cutter at the rocks above the entrance, "Goodbye Max…"

"I'll get you guys out!" He ran to them. Rocks suddenly slid down from the high cliff, "No," They blocked the entrance, "Silver!" He pounded his arms against the rock, "Cutter!" He summoned his magic and began to break the rocks, "No…" He saw a silver hilt sticking out from the rocks. He pulled out the silver cutter.

Max held the silver cutter close to his heart as tears built in his eyes, "Don't you know how stupid you are!" He shouted at the wall,

* * *

"Why did you get yourself killed?" He stood up, "Why?" He walked out from the tunnel.

The armor salesman shook his head in disbelief, "No…" He shook his head harder, "Damn it all. Why did it have to be them?"

Silver wiped tears from her eyes, "They died because of us." She held onto her mace tightly, "It hurts me because I helped them." She held it to her head, "I don't deserve to live."

Max grabbed her shoulder, "No…" He looked down, "It isn't your fault. It was mine…"

The armor salesman shook his head, "No," He looked up, "It isn't your fault. Do you still have that silver cutter?"

Max took out the silver cutter and sighed, "I'll never lose this." He held onto it tightly, "Silver stopped me from throwing my life away by sealing the exit."

The slime and orange mushroom drooped and jumped with a sad bounce.

"You shouldn't focus on the past." The armor salesman replied, "They saved you and you should be thankful for that. Keep your eye on the future and you won't need to worry about painful memories of the past."

Max looked at him, "Yeah…"

* * *

The card Max was holding is called a Golden thief bug card. In Ragnarok, you can put cards in armors and weapons to give them special abilties. The golden thief bug card cancels out all magic attacks. Please R & R :) 


	7. Start Again

This is the grand finale! I'm pretty sure I won't have another fanfic relating with Max since that might be dragging out the story too long. Sorry this took a few days, I was flooded with a lot of work. Happy reading

* * *

Theme song: Find the way, Gundam seed 3rd ending theme

* * *

"Hey Max," The armor salesman broke the odd silence that had fallen on them after Max told the story, "How did you get so many injuries?"

"The boat I took to get home was guarded by a few people." Max replied.

"Weren't they strong?" Silver asked.

Max smiled, "Yeah, but they weren't as angry as I was." He looked into the sky, "That Ragnarok myth you told me…" He looked at Silver, "It seems true for our land."

"What do you mean?" Silver replied.

"Not literally," Max muttered quickly, "When you attacked our land, our light was taken away and we became a land of darkness and famine. Everything was destroyed except for the sons of Odin and Thor, a woman and a man. You two represent the sons of Odin and Thor." Max pointed to Silver and the armor salesman, "The two monsters represent the humans. Your Yggdrasil tree stands for the land that's left for everyone: Perion. It still stands and we are returning to it so we can start again."

The armor salesman smiled, "That's a pretty good way of looking at it."

The orange mushroom and slime jumped up and down happily. They rushed ahead of them.

Max smiled and ran after them. He laughed when he saw the barren cliffs of Perion, "We're back…"

The armor salesman jumped up and down, "Finally!"

Silver stood behind, "Oh,"

"What's wrong?" Max asked Silver.

"Your people won't accept me. I'm one of the people who tried to destroy your land." Silver looked down.

"That's the past. You shouldn't focus on the past. Keep your eye on the future and you won't need to worry about…painful memories in the past…" Max looked up. The armor salesman waved at him before he climbed up the cliff, "Keep your eye on the future…"

Silver smiled and nodded, "Yeah…" She climbed up the mountain.

Max picked up the slime and orange mushroom. He jumped up the cliff.

The city of Perion had spread to the edges of the cliffs. Houses and tents were everywhere and people walked around happily. Children chased a small puppy in front of Max.

_They have no clue of what happened out there._ Max started walking. _Silver and Cutter are gone and they're never coming back. Can I stand to be without them? _Max looked up at the armor salesman and Silver.

"Come get your high quality thief armor and weapons!" He announced, "You won't find a better deal than this!"

Silver held up her hands over a wounded man. She collected the magic in her hands, "Heal." The wound closed up as a harmonious light showered the man.

"Thank you," The man stood up and swung his axe over his shoulder.

Max kept walking. His feet seemed to pull him to a certain place. _Those two have lost a lot._ He looked at the slime and the orange mushroom. They bounced around and played with the children. _They don't feel the sorrow of the past. They don't need to…_

Max stopped at the cliff where they first met, "The beginning…" He sat down. _We went as three and we came back as one. _He took out the silver cutter. _Maybe I should join them…_ He lifted the silver cutter high in the air.

He stabbed it into the ground.

_They aren't coming back and I have to accept that. The war is over and I've come back to the beginning. The beginning for us was the ending for me. _

Images of Silver and Cutter flashed through his mind, "You guys are gone and I know that. I can't keep dwelling in the ending."

_It's time for me to start again.

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_

And thats the end of that! Please R & R 


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